Wire connector



12, 1941- 'AJ A. L VAN -NEsT 2,252,448

WIRE CONNECTOR Filed Jan. 15. 1959 Patented Aug. 12, 1941 WIRE CONNECTGR Arden L.

Western Electric Com Van Nest,l Oak Park, Ill., assigner to pany, Incorporated, New

York, N. Y., a. corporation of New York Application January 13, 1939, Serial No. 250,695

(lll. 287-478) 2 Claims.

This invention relates to wire connectors, andv .An object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive connector by which a reliable electrical and/or mechanical connection between two or more wires may readily be made.

In accordance with the above object, one embodiment of the invention contemplates the provision of e. connector for splicing bridle wires to telephone line wires, the connector comprising a longitudinally grooved soft copper core and a tubular shell surrounding the core and cooperating with 'the grooves thereof to provide separate wire receiving bores adapted to be contracted into intimate contact with the line and bridle wires.

Other features, advantage-s and adaptations of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. l Als a plan view showing how the connector may be used for connecting a bridle wire to a telephone line wire, and for dead-ending line wires;

Fig, 2 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional View taken on line 3--3 of Fig. l;

Fig. Li is a longitudinal sectional View line -fl of 3;

Figs. 5 and 6 are perspective views of the inner core and shell, respectively. of the wire connector shown in Figs, il and 4, and

Fig. l shows the inner core and shell assembled together and ready to be used. for example, for connecting a bridle wire to a telephoneline wire.

Referring now to the drawing. one form of wire connector embodying the invention is shown in Fig. '7, wherein it is designated generally b v the numeral 'it comprises a substantially cylindrical core il encased in a tubular shell l2. The core is preferably composed of soft metal, such as annealed copper, and is formed with two lontaken on gitudinally extending wire receiving grooves I3' and I4, as best shown in Fic. 5. The shell I2 preferably comprises a seamless tube of copper or other suitable metal.

The core is inserted into the shell and the latter is then rolled or otherwise compressed into intimate contact with the core` as shown in Fig. 7. The interior surface of the shell thus cooperates with the grooves I3 and I 4 to provide separate bores for receiving the wires to be spliced or joined. Obviously, the size and cross-sectional shape of the grooves i3 and I4 may be varied to accommodate wires of various sizes and shapes, and if desired, the core may be provided with more than two wire receiving grooves in order to accommodate more than two wires. Also, the relative positions of the grooves with respect to each other may be varied, as desired. Furthermore, the improved wire connector may be of one-piece construction, although the twopiece core and shell construction is cheaper and equally satisfactory. l

Fig. l illustrates how the wire vcorunector I0 may be used to advantage for splicing a bridle wire i6 to a dead.' end il of atelephone line wire i8. `llt will be noted that one of the two wire receiving bores of this connector is just large enough to receive the line wire, while the other wire receiving bore is relatively smaller for receiving the relatively smaller bridle wire. In making the splice, the dead end il of the line wire is inserted through the larger bore of the connector' and the bare end of the bridle wire is inserted in the smaller bore. The connector l is then rolled or otherwise compressed into intimate contact with the bridle and line wires, thus making a reliable gas tight electrical connection therebetween.

As further illustrated in Fig. l, a connector 2li of the type embodying the invention may be used to advantage for dead-ending telephone line wires. The connector 2d, like connector lll, comprises a cylindrical core 2i (Fig. 2) encased in a tubular outer shell Z2, but the two wire receiving bores of connector 2li are of the same size. When employing the connector for dead-ending a telephone line wire, as shown in Fig. 1, the end portion of the line wire is rst inserted through one of the wire receiving bores of the connector and then looped around a dead end support 25, after which it is inserted in the other Wire re'- ceiving bore of the connector. The connector is then rolled or otherwise compressed into intimatel clamping contact with the adjacent parallel portions of the line wire and its end, thus making a iirrn, reliable dead-end joint.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specic embodiments thereof herein illustrated and described, but is capable of other adaptations within the scope .of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A wire connector comprising an inner soft metal core having a plurality of longitudinally extending grooves in its outer surface. and an outer soft metal shell completely surrounding the core and compressed into intimte contact therewith, the inner surface of slid shell 0009erating with said grooves to provide n plurnlity ot separated wire received bores. said core and shell adapted to be simultaneously compressed into intimate' contact with wires in said bores to provide a. -gas tight electrical connection therebetween.

2. An electrical connector for connecting sepmte electrical conducting wires, comprising a core formed of soft conducting metal provided with longitudinal wire receiving grooves and a close nttinz cylindrical shell formed ot soft metal completely surrounding the core, said core and shell adapted to be simultaneously compressed upon the wires within the core grooves.

ARDEN L. VAN NEST. 

